Underworld 2 is an excellent sequel. Its by no means a perfect movie but it does manage to better the original or at least match it. In terms of its mix of story and action, this film combines the two elements quite well. Unlike the first, which i thought lacked the action that the previews promised and went too far in with the details. Which isn't always a bad thing but thats what expectations can do for a movie.

In this second coming of Selene and Papa Smurf aka Scotty Speedman, the Vampire nation is shaken by the deceit and secrets of their former leaders Viktor and Kraven. Selene and Michael are now on the run looking to escape their enemies which are pretty much everyone on the planet.

The movie starts off well with a scene detailing significant events that shed light on how things in the world have become and also shed light on Selene's family and past.

Underworld Evolution does an exceptional job of explaining the unexplained elements in the first installment, and also leaves just enough room and mystery for a third film to complete the intended trilogy. Unlike Matrix, this sequel was well planned and executed, and unlike the Matrix it did not have to live up to critical praise or commercial hype. The critics ripped this movie unfairly and they should really remove the object that was up their behinds and just try to enjoy this action packed popcorn popping' ride.

10 out of 10... only because it does what its supposed to well, without anything more or less.

Yeah i just came out of the theater after watching this one and i had to get on here to warn people. Unless you're 10 years old or younger, avoid this movie and save your money. This movie can be best described as a made for TV movie with a bigger budget. Or perhaps it could be seen as a watered down kid's version of Lord of the Rings.

The first 3/4 of the movie was a total yawn. Character development is non existent as we are not given any insight about the personalities of the children at all, all we know is that they're children running away from the Nazis. Furthermore, what we do realize about these children are that they are quite the little runts. With exception to the the youngest child, Lucy, the rest are a bunch of malcontent, annoying, complaining, unworthy rodents. Edmond in particular is an obvious pain and i would not be misty eyed at all to see this little brat's existence come to thankful end. The older sister is annoying as well and there are several times during the movie where she was so annoying that you wished you could reach into the movie screen to ring her neck. I was not made to feel any sympathy for these two. The oldest boy, Peter was a bit easier to tolerate however still not worth a care. How could the viewer enjoy this movie if they didn't care for the main character's well beings? A very good question...

The story is seriously flawed and also share painful parallels to the triumphant Lord of the Rings movies. For example the death of their leader, who later is resurrected by questionable, and head scratching means. The big battle that seemed to be lost, suddenly saved by a last minute addition of troops. A character that does not wish to take their role as leader but afterwards taking up his sword and marching into battle... Please give me some credit... please give viewers credit... we are not morons, don't treat us like we are.

The inhabitants in Narnia also do no make much sense as they do not seem to be able to follow footprints. The White Witch (aka female Saruman) is all powerful, able to freeze anyone with a motion of her staff however fails to be able to dispose of a child who just picked up a sword 2 days ago for the first time. She forgets about all her powers and tries to swat him with swords. Which brings me to another point... how could children who were given weapons by Santa Claus and have had not previous training be able to battle in a war, be better able to lead an army into battle better then any soldier already in the army? Overall this movie was a real disappointment and falls short on many many levels.

4 out of 10

After being very impressed with the first one after some skepticism, Spider-man 2 is tackling a sequel with great anticipation and even greater expectations. The way Sam Raimi was able to produce the story of Spider-man with such style, realism and above all, faithfulness to the Marvel original comic is tremendous to say the least. The reason why it took this long to make a live action movie for Spider-man is due to the difficulties in making the action sequences look real and being able to connect all the side stories and characters in a single effort. Although it doesn't look flawless, it is still able to fool the eyes. The characters are also faithfully represented.

Spider-man 2 is a great sequel for many reasons. First it ties right into the original without skipping a beat. Set a few years after the original with all the same actors and characters. Though it differentiates itself enough from the original so you're not watching a clone of the first. It dives deeper into the psyche and the experiences of its main character in order for you to gain a greater understanding of his situation. At the same time it still provide great visuals, pulse pounding action sequences, humorous side sequences and breath taking special effects and camera work. This movies stands head and shoulders above all super hero comic movies. It delivers what a movie goer seeks and leaves them gasping for more. Immediately after viewing, I was pondering what they will do with the next installment and i am sure that the majority of the viewers were thinking the same thing.

The movie is strung together in a great sequence that never ever bores the viewer. The new villain gets a good intro which explains his situation in a neat and tidy manor. Doctor Otto Octavius is a perfect villain which is played and visually represented to perfection. The movements of Doc Ock are fantastic. It's just as i would have pictured it in my mind, if i could... while watching the cartoons or reading the comics. Only Raimi presents it in a way that connects the loose visuals in our minds with the visual reality (of course with the aid of computers).

Some may complain about there being too much story, too much Peter Parker and not enough action. One must realize that if it were the other way around, that you'd be complaining that there wasn't enough storyline. People are so hard to please. Even with this seemingly flawless movie people still find something to complain about. The only thing i didn't understand was the presence of Ursala, the daughter of Peter's landlord. What was her role in all of this?

Anyways, i just bought the DVD for this and realized that i should voice my opinion especially seeing how low of a score this movie got in contrast with what i would score it.

Action:10 Directing:10 Acting:10 Re-watchability(if thats even a word):10

Overall rating: 10 out of 10... bravo!

Bring on part 3 whoever the villain might be. Venom, Lizard, Gobblin, Scorpion, whatever. Heck bring on the sinister 6!

I am sitting here in utter disbelief after watching Blade Trinity...

Blade 1 + 2: Blade through the first two movies had consistently been a dark, edgy movie franchise and thats what made Blade interesting. The dark atmosphere that went along with the quiet, yet intense personality of Blade was in perfect balance. There was a bit of subtle humor here or there to keep it interesting but overall the atmosphere stayed consistent. The first 2 films had meticulously added detail and personality to ensure that even though this was not your average vampire movie, that its still had a realistic vampire feel with dark scary looking characters, and vampires that acted like they were superior. Believability is never been an issue.

Blade 3: (in contrast) The dark edgy atmosphere is gone, replaced with an techno style, teen flop feel. Blade isn't about humor, its not suppose to be funny. If it were suppose to be funny than they would have got Ben Stiller to play Blade not Wesley Snipes. The Nightstalkers are a joke. Blade even makes the comment that they're just a bunch of punk kids that dress like idiots. Well there's some irony in Snipe's lines because thats a key element(or flaw) that ruins the whole feel of the franchise. Ryan Reynolds was funny, i'll give him that. The sad thing is that people don't go to a Blade movies expecting a comedy. Vampire hunter: rough, tough, rugged, take no prisoners type of attitude. Night Stalker: joke cracking, techno bopping, careless, moronic. Its sad that Reynolds when to all that trouble to workout and look believable when everything else goes against that effort.

Blade 3 makes you question everything that happens in it. Like why are all the vampire henchmen/henchwomen all little punk kids or teenies boppers? Why would the lord of the vampires, Dracula, go running around the streets stealing babies? Dracula is suppose to be this all-powerful immortal, i seriously doubt that he would do such petty little things. Then again, why did it take this many years for the powerful vampire race that we have come to know from the first two movies, to find their lord and master? Dracula, or "Drake" (eyes rolling) looks like a backstreet boy, or some loser from the OC that pumped up on roids and has zero acting ability. For proof, reference that scene where he has a conversation with Zoe. I could just go on and on about this movies problems but i'll spare you the crap i went through by actually watching it. By the way, he goes down easier then Nomak and Frost combined... this supposed "lord and ruler of the vampires".

Blade is a shadow of his former self. Just his appearance alone looks cheapened. Just as a small indication, his vest which looked very cool in the first one is replace by a cheap nylon vest with straps and a cheap looking buckle. He doesn't have that dark quiet personality anymore and its as if Snipes isn't sure how to act in this new found personality. The there's the matter of Whistler. Who they brought back in the second, went through a lot of trouble to explain his return and was an important element of the first two. He just dies outta nowhere without much of a fight. What the heck is that!!?!?!!?

So what happened? My guess is that they finally said enough is enough, lets just make as much money as we can off the success of the originals and get the heck outta here. Snipes himself said this would be the last one. Just a pity considering the potential, the hype, and the success of the first two.

Directing: 0/10 Acting: 0/10 Action: 3/10 Sequel appeal: 0/10

General Score: (not an average): 4 out of 10. Had to consider how i would feel about it if i hadn't seen the first two.

I am gonna feel really bad about this later because it was suppose to be such an innocent, fun loving film but heck, i'm gonna go ahead and blast this film cause i just can't help myself. WOO!

If ever there were a film that epitomizes the term 'chick flick' this is it right here. Step up step up ladies and gents, but fair thee be warned: The following ride could induce vomiting, nausea, and/or gagging.

Okay first thing that needs to get sorted out of this mess is the boomstick thing. I'm talking about the boom mic...we're not suppose to see it. I know i know, maybe this director wasn't paying attention in film school but i am pretty sure you don't need to go to school to figure that out. I mean damn, the boom mic shows up like every 5 mins. Even the kids in the audience were laughing at it.

The whole plot was like a fairytale, as it should have been. But perhaps they should have made it a cartoon. The sweet, lovey dubby parts were overwhelming and definitely too much to handle. You know when you see something so cute that it makes you sick? Okay, let me paint you a picture: You're in a huge room, its all pink and its filled with millions of teddy bears, fluffy pink boas, cupcakes, koala bear babies, and giant lolly pops. Put all that cute cuddly stuff in a bottle, squeeze till its in concentrated form and then spray it all over the silver screen. That would be the best description of it.

What does it feel like to watch it? I would compare it to being kicked in the stomach. Its the 5rd movie, (ahh yes nice to add to the collection)that i felt like walking out on. To top it off, we all got nice pretty cards with make up tips to make us all look like princesses. It even has a section that teaches you how to properly put on a tiara. Sailor Moon! Where art thou!

In conclusion, umm.... 5 PUKES out of 5. YEAH! BTW: Mortal Kombat Annihilation, Unbreakable, Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolution were the other 4 masterpieces.

It's November, and the mindless money grubbing FX machine has rolled out in full force. Now after i've seen this movie and taken a step back, i realized that its nothing but a money train running out of control; riding the previous success of the original.

The matrix is a mixed bag of bad acting, over-acting, under-acting, lame moments, over the top CG and a table full of muppets. Now before you call the crazyhouse to come pick me up, allow me to explain. The bad acting is apparent everywhere. Obviously, acting was not on the menu when the director and the casting director went shopping. Keanu Reeves can't act, i'm sorry. Scene after scene of stone faced Reeves cements that fact. Can he express any emotion other than, "Whoa!?". Next we have over-acting which can clearly be seen by the lackies riding the robots. Especially that fool, Captain "Constipated". Under acting is served up by Mr. Anderson once again as his stoned face is mirrored by Trinty. Trinty, who's finally put out of her misery. They have absolutely no on screen chemistry. Now for the lame moments, they were everywhere. I found myself laughing at many parts that i don't think i was supposed to. I noticed this from the entire audience i was with. From the stupid looks on the faces of Zionians to the stupid poses by Agent Smith. The computer graphics which looked alright in most parts was just too overwhelming. You can't make the backbone of a movie the CG. It looks cheap and fake. Case in point, the little slow-motion punch by Neo delivered to a rubber faced Agent Smithers. Also bad was the little drill machines that broke through the walls of Zion. You know what they looked like? I'm sure i wasn't the only one who thought this but they looked like little turds squeezing through and plopping down in the drain. Now whats more annoying than a civilization in peril, who are controlled by a group who does absolutely nothing to help, nothing to contribute but scorn and ridicule those who are trying to help? I'll tell you what more annoying, when they're looking like a table of muppets or circus freaks. Looks like someone freed the freak section of the matrix and let loose the circus of poor fashion sense. This "council" is nothing more than a table full of geriatrics with dreadlocks and hippie stink. They should have loaded a canon full of their useless hippie carcuses and fired them at the squids.

That brings me to another geriatric. Colonel Sanders, aka, the architect. When i saw him, i started getting cravings for fried chicken. How are we suppose to take this movie seriously when the dude who supposedly created the matrix looks like he should be on a bucket of fried poultry?

Now finally comes the count down to the "END"...that makes no sense:

1.The long struggle against the machines. Lets not forget, has been going on for centuries.

2.The programs which the machines created to control the minds of their energy providing blood sacks.

3.An actual physical war that is ongoing.

4.Insignificant rogue program that could have easily been erased. (lets not forget the story from the original where the original matrix was a paradise but didn't work, so they simply erased and created a new one).

5.Zion on the ropes and literally about to be crushed.

6.Neo the moron, strikes a deal with machines to terminate the rogue program. *Now lets take a look back* Why would the machines need Neo to take care of Smith? Why wouldn't the machines simple unplug the matrix and reset it? I guess were suppose to be too stupid to think that up. The writers obviously didn't give us much credit.

7.The stupid fight which ended with a stupid ending as Smith terminates himself, knowing full well that he was doing what he shouldn't.

8.Then the really dumb part comes. Neo had struck a deal with the machines. *Now lets take another step back* The machines hate humans and have eraticated them in the past, bringing them back as their food source. Now that 1 human has helped them swat a fly that they could have swat themselves, suddenly all is forgiven. Those who want to leave the matrix ,can and the machines suddenly allow their food to run away.

Now what should have happened in that situation by all logical thinking is that the machines kept on attacking Zion, crushed the resistence and continue living and thriving off the bodies of those who remain in the matrix.

What this movie failed to do, is it failed to accomplish its main objective. In part 1, the main objective of the resistence as we were lead to believe is to topple the machines and take back the earth. Have they done that? Obviously not. No they supposedly live in harmony with the machines who have enslaved them for centuries. The tag line was, what has a beginning, has and end? It should have been, What has a beginning takes a break, and we won't show you the end.

Lastly, a parting thought...Is this a Matrix movie in the sense that what we were served up in part one was "the Matrix"? Heck no. All the style is gone, all the flair, all the coolness. Its all gone. This and Reloaded were nothing more then taking what was "cool" and "hip" in the original and milking it for all its worth. In reloaded we were drilled by the martial arts and leather jackets, over and over again till we puked. In this installment we were drilled with the special effects.

ALL IN ALL: Nothing but a conglomerate of cliches and bad story telling.

1 out of 10

Bring on the King...The Return of the King!

To be honest I was not expecting this movie to be as good as it was. I am not a big fan or follower of Leo Dicaprio in any way. As a matter of fact i was planning to explicitly avoid this film because of his involvement in this movie. However as fate played out on a cold Saturday night with 2 friends and nowhere to go. External influences created the opportunity that allowed me to be pleasantly surprised with this film. This movie was good on so many levels that i can't cover everything i liked about it because i liked it so much i can't separate all the parts of the film that i enjoyed. The acting, first of all has to be mentioned. As does the directing, the visual effects, the colours, the costumes and the great plot.

This is certainly not the kind of movie one would expect from a typical Leo movie so in that way this is kind of a "Anti-Leo" movie. The performance of Daniel Day-Lewis was astounding and the fact that he lost out on the Oscar to the Adrien Brody, is unfortunate. Day-Lewis is clearly heads and shoulders above 99% of actors in the world and his talent is clearly evident in this role, Bill the Butcher Cutting. This is coming from a person who previously despised his earlier movies and refused to watch them. He changed my mind about him and thats a hard thing to do. although i loved this movie, i didn't not change my view of Leo and would not change it unless he pulls off something the way Day-Lewis did, which i can't perceive occurring.

As I was watching this movie I couldn't help but to think that this explains why New York is the way it is now. I mean I don't want to knock an entire city but it's pretty much the same way they portrayed the beginnings of it in this film. Crime everywhere, filthy streets and crooks trying to swindle you any chance they can get. Pretty much the way it is today. Lets not kid ourselves, even New Yorkers know it. I apologize to the decent people in New York but give me a break, this movie mimics real life with an artistic twist and there's no denying it.

So the acting is great, the visuals are powerful and it's an interesting look into the origins of the Great City of New York. I also liked the historical content and accuracy as they added in the scenes of the Irish landing in friendly New York as the escape the horrors of the Irish Potato Famine. 9 out of 10. A surprising hit!

The Terminator movie machine has risen and it has taken the lives of inferior sequels everywhere! As we celebrate the return of Arnold to a role that defined action roles in the last 3 decades(80's 90's 2k)we also celebrate the successful return of the Terminator franchise as it come bursting out into the limelight once again. I believe the success of this movie not only rests on the $170 m. budget, the solid acting, well choreographed action sequeces but it is also the fact that the promoters, the advertisers and the brains behind this movie did not make the mistake of over hyping it. Too many movies have come before it, kicking and screaming before they hit the screen, raising expectations to impossible heights and then letting everyone down in an unbelieveable way.

There wasn't much the T3 team let anyone in on, other than the villan was female and 2 acters weren't returning. Which leads me to my subject. Arnold. He's been lacking these few years, lets not kid ourselves. End of days was no Arnold movie, the 6th day was kinda watered down and so was Eraser. Jingle all the Way and Batman&Robin were jokes. So this is a very crucial movie for Arnold in this particular junction in his career. Hopefully he keeps riding off the waves of success created by this film and becomes more selective about the roles he accepts.

T3 is all Arnold. Unquestionably the Arnold of old. We don't just see glimpses here and there like in his recent watered down roles. This is truely, purely, classic Arnold at his best. I am talking about Arnold in his coronation days for Conan, Predator, T2, Commando etc. Arnold Reprises his role well, looks good in terms of physical conditioning, and spits out great one-liners left and right. Speaking of his physique, it is astonishing but really not that surprising for a 55 year old to look that good, because he is after all a multi-time winner of the Mr. Universe contest.

So Arnold's huge, the movie is solid, the action is mind blowing, go see it! Don't let others stop you. You owe it to yourself and the last 2 previous movies to see this movie. In my opinion it is the best movie of the summer of 2003. 8 out of 10. Bring on T4.

X2 did for Xmen what Blade 2 did for Blade. This is an extremely good sequel and undoubtedly better than the first. The action is better, and with a bigger budget it'd better be. The opening sequence was mind blowing however it did make the rest of the movie a little dull since it was such a huge opening. They do a much better job developing some of the characters but i think that Cyclops is a lost cause. Storm is a lot better in this one but of course after the first, she couldn't be any worse honestly. At least she didn't spout off any cheeseball lines.

The story line is solid and lays the foundation for a promising trilogy. It lacks many of the storylines from the comics and cartoons but you can't ask for too much because it'd be quite difficult to pull off some of the things that the Xmen do on a daily basis in the comics and it'd take forever to explain the storylines and backgrounds or all the Xmen. Tackling the main characters and only the main ones seems to be the next best way to go and Singer does a good job laying it all out.

In my opinion, X2 is the real deal and the true hit of this early summer movie barrage, The Matrix to me is a huge flop. I don't care what anyone says, The Matrix Reloaded was trash.

My only suggestion for the next Xmen film is to have a new villain like Mr. Sinister, Juggernaut or Apocalypse. The whole Professor X, Magneto (with the bad costume) thingy is getting kind of tiresome. Also, when do they reveal that Mystique is Rogue's stepmother and is responsible for Rogue's powers? If she ever gets her powers in these movies. Maybe she's fated to stay a useless, maiden in distress.

Anyhow, Xmen 2: Xmen United gets a 9 out of 10

The most disappointing sequel in recent memory. I felt like i was watching Mortal Kombat 2 all over again. It was like a horrible nightmare. There was tons of action, so much so that it became boring if you could believe that. Lots of pointless action and lots of pointlessness, for example the dance club scene. If i wanted to see people dance i would go to a club myself, not pay 15 bucks to see it in a theatre.

There was too much Kung Fu in it. I didn't believe it would be possible but the Matrix ruined something that i thought you'd never get enough of. All the fighting scenes were pointless since you knew who was going to win no matter what. So the whole movie was Neo wasting agents over and over and over again.

The special effects were top notch but i don't care how much special effects are in it, it still sucked. Star wars episode 2 was all special effects but that didn't stop that ship from sinking and it certainly didn't stop this one. The ending was one of the worst i had ever seen in a sequel. The might as well have ended it after the opening credits because the movie was pointless.

The entire time i was watching it, I was waiting for the movie to come out of its sleepy boring state and wake up to the real story, the real point but it never did. It was as if i was watching a 2 and a half hour long trailer.

Well the Matrix did succeed however. It succeeded by suckering me into watching it and wasting my money.And it will continue to do so to others for months to come.The matrix is a very huge, very complex sucking machine that will have repercussions echoing through time, disappointing complex matrices of people worldwide. And just think, there's another batch of humans, paying to be blown away by disappointment right now as you read this.

0 out of 10